Automatic editing of manuals

The documentation problem is discussed that arises in getting all the many items included in a computer program prepared in a timely fashion and keeping them all correct and mutually consistent during the life of the program. The proposed approach to the problem is to collect all the necessary information into a single document, which is maintained with computer assistance during the life of the program and from which the required subdocuments can be extracted as desired. Implementation of this approach requires a package of programs for computer editorial assistance and is facilitated by certain programming practices that are discussed.